Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Cold War 2 (Hong Kong-Mainland China, 2016)- Sunny Luk and Longman Leung, co-directors (and co-scriptwriters along with Jack Ng)- Starring: Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Chow Yun Fat, Chang Kuo Chu, Eddie PengBack
in 2012, long-time assistant director Sunny Luk and
scriptwriter-turned-helmer Longman Leung made history when the first
film they directed (singly as well as together), a star-studded
blockbuster crime drama, went on to become that year's highest grossing
local film at the Hong Kong box office year.Cold War also went on to win nine Hong Kong Film Awards (including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Tony Leung Ka-fai) and Best Screenplay) and you knew it'd be just a matter of time before a sequel was made.Rather surprisingly, however, it wasn't until four years later that Cold War 2 appeared on Hong Kong cinema screens. In between these two films, Sunny Luk and Longman Leung also made Helios,
another star-studded blockbuster crime drama which saw that which has
been regularly touted as "Asia's safest city" (not just "Asia's world
city") come under major threat. And I have to admit that I found myself
mixing up some of what went on in this 2015 film with the 2012 movie;
with the result that it took me a while to recall and connect the
pertinent details in the first Cold War with what takes place early on in Cold War 2, whose proceedings are supposed to follow not long after the final moments of the 2012 film.Like with the earlier box office mega hit, this follow-up film
has two senior police officers struggling for power and control over
professional affairs that spill into the realm of the personal. Early
on in Cold War 2, police commissioner Sean Lau (Aaron Kwok) has
his wife kidnapped by people who want him to set free the convicted
renegade son (Eddie Peng) of Lau's (erstwhile) professional rival, M.B.
Lee (Tony Leung Ka Fai, who's just been getting better and better over
the years). After
an emotionally compromised Lau botches up the ensuing police operation,
the officially retired M.B. Lee is approached by former police
commissioner Peter Choi (Chang Kuo Chu) -- who's part of a cabal of
powerful plotters, including government officials and lawmakers -- to
consider returning to active duty and taking over as police chief. For
his part, Lau smells a rat (or more) at work in the upper echelons of
the police force once more -- and determines to hunt down the
miscreant(s) even while facing a major battle to save his professional
status and reputation.Given
what appears to be a considerably larger budget than for their first
feature film, Sunny Luk and Longman Leung pull out the stops in both the
sight and sound departments. It's not just that there are plenty of
spectacular action set pieces in this very good-looking movie but there
also being lots of expensive looking clothing sported in it by males and
females alike, and a musical score that seems to never let up on the
eternally swelling bombast. Almost needless to say, the directorial duo additionally ambitiously up the ante in terms of Cold War 2
having a considerably larger cast along with more complex and
convoluted plot than even its already pretty blockbusterish
predecessor. Unfortunately, however, as many a Hong Kong filmmakers
doesn't seem to have learnt, big really isn't necessarily better. And
in the case of this particular production, what often results is screen
appearances by a number of star names that, at best, are the cinematic
equivalent of window dressing (including that of the criminally
under-utilized Charlie Yeung) or worse, come across as parodically showy
but ultimately inconsequential grandstanding (I'm looking at you, Chow
Yun Fat). Even more problematic for me is that Cold War 2
presupposes that the reputation of the Hong Kong Police Force remains
as exalted in 2016 as it was four years ago. Put another way: as much
as the first Cold War gained from its makers' decision to mix in commentary on Hong Kong's socio-political state of affairs 15 years after the 1997 Handover, this new film suffers from the same folks electing to act like the Umbrella Movement didn't take place and/or had little effect on the lowered perceptions of the local police force in its aftermath.Last
but not least, it seems laughable to me given developments in recent
years that political intrigues and shennanigans in Hong Kong could be
portrayed as being entirely minus the involvement of powerful
individuals residing on the other side of the Hong Kong-Mainland China
border. But perhaps local viewers prefer flashy escapist fantasy to
dark fiction that cleaves to reality. Otherwise, how does one account
for Cold War 2 having become the highest grossing Chinese language film of all time in Hong Kong?! My rating for the film: 6.0

2 comments:

Why did you prefer "Cold War 2" to the first "Cold War"? Do you think it has something to do with your awareness of/reactions to the Umbrella Movement and recent socio-political developments in Hong Kong?